Gift Giving

In preparation for the holiday season, our staff has put together a list of gift ideas that you might consider for your loved one this year. We recognize that each person is unique in terms of their culture, background, interests and abilities, so we've included a variety of ideas. We also understand that caregivers may be looking for new ways to spend time with their care recipients, so have looked for activity-based gifts activities that can be enjoyed together and with other family members. Click on the highlighted words to be linked to the resources.

Magazine Subscriptions

Subscribe to a magazine on a favourite topic that can be enjoyed throughout the year. Reminisce Magazine is an excellent read and includes pictures, memories, stories and recipes from the past sent in by readers. You can also access free resources on their website that can be shared with your gift recipient.

Memory and Picture Albums

These albums can be created around a variety of themes, assembled together with your gift recipient and used as a discussion guide throughout the year. Themes may include childhood photos, favourite recipes, vegetables from the garden or vintage cars, which can easily be changed or updated. Include small descriptions of each picture and/or discussion questions so that the books can also be enjoyed with other visitors.

Exercise and Active Games

Many of our participants enjoy exercise and active games and several complete exercise routines at home, as well. Of course, you will want to make sure that the exercises, equipment and activities that you choose are safe and have been cleared by your gift recipient's physician, but safe and moderate physical activities have great physical and emotional benefits for most people.

• Therabands, hand weights and/or leg weights can be used at home. This equipment can be purchased from any local sporting goods store, or ordered from companies, such as Going Strong by Flaghouse, that specialize in equipment that is adapted for people with varying physical needs and abilities. 
• Adapted active games, such as magnetic darts, horseshoes and shuffleboard are available through companies, such as Spectrum Nasco.
• If your gift recipient is or was a dancer, they may enjoy Chair Dancing DVDs. We’ve tried Chair Dancing Around the World and have found that our participants who enjoy music and dancing respond positively to this DVD. 

Quiet Activities

There are numerous adult appropriate products that have been designed to engage those with a variety of interest and ability levels. Again, there are many products available on the Concepts du Sablier and Spectrum Nasco websites, but here are some of our favourites:

• Adult themed puzzles with larger sized pieces. 
• Art themed gifts, such as models or painting supplies, which can be purchased from any art supply store. These materials are adapted for a variety of ability levels, ranging from difficult to more simplified. 
• Knitting or crocheting supplies. For those with previous experience, some new needles, yarn and your assistance may be welcome. For those who have no prior experience but are interested, we’ve had success with knitting looms.

Family Games

We find that reminiscing games are very popular with our participants and open up great discussions. Both Concepts du Sablier and Spectrum Nasco are good resources for identifying a game that may interest your gift recipient. We have had success with the following games:

• Shake Loose a Memory: We find that this reminiscing game is enjoyed by participants with a variety of ability levels since it stimulates memories, while at the same time including simple game elements, such as rolling a die and adding up points at the end. 
• I Hear Memories: The whole family will enjoy listening to this CD of sounds and guessing what they are. A booklet including discussion topics for each sound is included to promote discussion.
• Life Stories game: We haven't tried this game yet, but thought it looked like a good one. 

Music and Stories

Most people would be able to identify music or movies that their gift recipients may enjoy, however, we thought we would highlight a few of our favourites that you may not have considered in the past.

• The Purple Hairpin : Many of our participants enjoy Chinese Opera and recommend this DVD. 
• Songs We Remember-Music without Musicians Series: Many of our participants enjoy singing songs from the past and we find that everyone benefits from having the words to sing along to. 
• Amazing Grace: Five Hymns that Changed the World. This is a very enjoyable DVD that includes a dramatized story and history of five popular songs and hymns, including Silent Night. 
• Audio CDs of favourites stories are a wonderful way to pass the time. Our recommendation for Christmas enjoyment are the short stories by Stuart McLean,  Vinyl Cafe Christmas Collection 

We hope that our suggestions have given you a few new ideas for gift giving this year. 

Happy Holidays to everyone!

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December Calendars for South ADC

December Calendars for Beulah

Upcoming Workshop for Caregivers

December 11, 2012

Jeannie Sharp-Kehl, Mental Health Clinician, A/OA Three Bridges Community Health Centre and Heather Wright, Manager, ADC & AOA Three Bridges Community Health Centre, VCH will be providing information for caregivers on dealing with challenging behaviors of a family member with dementia; learning strategies based on physical, environmental, task-related and communication aspects; and understanding behaviors resulting from more complex dementias (Lewy Body, Parkinson’s, etc.)  Date:   Tuesday December 11, 2012   Time:    10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (followed by light  refreshments) Where: Trout Lake Community Centre, LakewoodRoom               3350 Victoria Drive (at 15th Avenue)Vancouver

*Please pre-register:

Vancouver Resource Centre
604-675-5150 or info.vancouver@alzheimerbc.org

Caregiver Initiative

Part of our mandate is to provide support to caregivers and we do this through a variety of supports, including one-to-one counselling and referrals to various resources in the community, such as the caregiver education series and support groups facilitated by Vancouver Coastal Health and the Alzheimer Society. Last fall we distributed a Survey of Caregiver Needs to the caregivers of our participants from both centres in order to learn more about our caregivers and to determine how we could best support them. As a result of the feedback we received, we identified three goals for the 2012-2013 year:

• Develop an internet resource for clients and caregivers that will provide information about our centres, about topics related to adult day services and caregiving and links to community resources.
• Develop a caregiver resource manual containing information about supports and services in the community, as well as social or activity programs that can be attended by caregivers and care recipients.
• Organize one information session and one social event at each site that can be attended by the caregivers of our clients. 

Thanks to the efforts of our staff and practicum students, the first two goals of our caregiver initiative have been met. Currently, we are working on our third goal to organize one information session and one social event which will take place between January and April of 2013. To this end, we are in the process of contacting all of our caregivers to obtain feedback about their ideas for what to discuss at these events. 

We will keep you updated on our progress and encourage you to think of potential topics for discussion at these events.  

November Calendar for Beulah Gardens ADC

November Calendar for South Vancouver ADC

October Calendar for Beulah ADC

Click on the calendars to see a larger version.

October Calendar for South ADC

Modified Exercise Program

Facilitators of exercise groups for frail seniors will understand that developing a routine that meets the needs of all participants can be challenging due to differences in ability levels, mobility, medical conditions, hearing and sight abilities and language. In order to address this diversity, both of our centres offer two, 45 minute exercise sessions each day, one for clients with a high level of mobility and another for clients with a medium level or mobility or other challenges that make exercise in the high mobility group difficult for them.

Balance Exercises

The content of both exercise groups is similar, however, the high mobility group is facilitated at a faster pace, includes more complicated movements and has a more extensive standing and balance component, whereas the medium mobility group includes more simple movements and limits the number of transitions between exercises. As a general rule, each session consists of a warm up, a cardiovascular component, strength training for the upper and lower body using weights, therabands or dyno balls, weight-bearing balance exercises and a cool down. 

Strength Training Exercises

Recently, the staff at South Vancouver ADC introduced a modified exercise program for a small group of participants who were having difficulty participating in the medium mobility exercise group because they were unable to perform weight-bearing exercises. The content of this new program has been modified to enhance the specific abilities of these participants. In addition to the stretching and resistance exercises always included in the exercise programs, a component for manual dexterity using large and small balls and silly putty has been added. 

Exercises Using Silly Putty

Facilitating this program around a table encourages eye contact and interaction between participants and the small group setting enables the leader to spend more time with each client and to offer more specific instructions and hand under hand assistance, when needed. The participants are enjoying the small group setting and are encouraged by their ability to participate in each of the exercises; as a result,  staff have noted an increase in participants' levels of engagement. If you are looking for ideas on how to enhance your exercise programs with a similar group, we would be happy to share more details about our program with you. 

For more information on seniors exercise, visit the website for the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging (CCAA). The CCAA is involved in research, exercise program development and exercise leader training for facilitators of exercise programs for seniors of all functional levels, including frail seniors in long term care facilities and community care and active, independent seniors. Recently, CCAA has also established new Physical Activity Guidelines for Seniors. 

September Calendar for South

September Calendar for Beulah

Upcoming Workshops by Vancouver Coastal Health

August Calendar for South Vancouver ADC

August Calendar for Beulah

Meet Me: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia

For the past few years, the staff at Beulah have been facilitating an art program developed by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Originally an onsite program designed for people with dementia and their caregivers to enjoy together at the MoMA, Meet Me: Making Art Accessible to People with Dementia, has been extended to twelve online modules that can be facilitated by any interested seniors organization. Each module is developed around a theme and contains the instructions, images and information required to facilitate one discussion session and one art-making session using different media ranging from watercolour paints to clay.

To prepare for the discussion sessions, staff review the chosen module, do a bit of research to supplement the information provided about the piece and/or artist and print a few copies of the art images to pass around during the discussion. To faciliate the discussion, we use a laptop, projector and screen to present the images and discuss the questions and topics provided with each module. We’ve found these art programs to be informative and accessible for our clients and staff; the information provided is not difficult to present or understand and we’ve had many engaging conversations about different art pieces that have sparked interest in participants.  So far, our favourite modules have been Family Pictures and Music and Art. To prepare for the art making sessions, we review the activity and gather the materials listed in the module instrutions. Sometimes we modify the activity to reflect the interests and abilities of our participants.

Developing unique programs that are meaningful for a wide range of people can be challenging. That’s why we were so happy to find an art program that has already been developed, but which can also be modified to reflect the interests and abilities of our clients. This program can also be facilitated by family members or paid caregivers in the home using a laptop or an ipad and there are also instructions for developing your own modules, based on the interests of the user. For more information, see the MoMA website for information on how you can facilitate this program.

About Adult Day Centres

Adult day centres (ADC) are specialized services for frail seniors and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities who live independently in the community, by themselves or with a caregiver. The main goals of these programs are to enrich the lives of participants and their families by promoting health and independence through therapeutic programming, medication and nutrition monitoring and caregiver support. These interventions help seniors to remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.

In Vancouver, there are a total of 14 adult day programs, operating at various sites across the city. Participants are referred through the Ministry of Health by case managers who work from Community Health Centres (CHC) or Community Health Areas (CHA) across Vancouver. Most often, clients are referred to the ADC closest to their home for social, physical, cognitive or mental health issues or caregiver respite. Days of attendance range from one to five days per week, depending on the needs of the participant and availability at the ADC. Transportation to and from the centre is provided by families, the ADC or by HandiDART. If you know of anyone who could benefit from Adult Day Program Services, please call Central Intake at: 604-267-3414.

Our two ADC are contracted by Vancouver Coastal Health through South Vancouver Neighbourhood House: South Vancouver Adult Day Centre is located at 49^th and Kerr and South Vancouver Adult Day Centre at Beulah Gardens is located at the Cedars Assisted Living at 5^th and Rupert. Both of our sites operate five days per week, from Monday to Friday and offer distinct programs in several languages. Our hours of operation are from 9:00am-4:00pm; program hours run from 10:00am-2:15pm. Our staff come from a variety of disciplines, including therapeutic recreation, education and gerontology. Each site has a registered nurse who is responsible for admitting and medical monitoring. We also host volunteers and students from various educational institutions, such as UBC and Douglas College.

A typical day at our centres includes morning social time with coffee, tea and a light breakfast; two separate exercise programs emphasizing aerobic exercise, strength training and balance, which are divided according to client ability level; mental aerobics; a three course lunch; and various other programs that reflect the culture, interests and ability levels of our particular clients. We also arrange outings and muticultural events throughout the year.

All of our programs are designed according to the principles of person-centered care, which coincide with the objectives of the Association of Neighbourhood Houses (ANHBC) and emphasize the following:

• ·      Programs focus on the whole person, recognizing and capitalizing on past, current and future interests, skills and abilities.
• ·       Participants are understood within the context of family, background, culture, ethnicity and gender.
• ·       Participants are seen as active contributors, not passive recipients, within the ADC and larger community.
• ·       The majority of programs are developed to be client and small-group specific, rather than generic.
• ·       Facilitation of small groups enables staff to recognize individual interest and encourage client participation.

As an organization, we consider it a privilege to serve our clients and their families and to provide opportunities for our participants to contribute to our community according to their abilities. We welcome your input and encourage you to contact us at our centres with any comments or questions that you may have. 

Welcome to our Blog

Welcome to the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House Adult Day Centres (ADC) blog. We have created this blog as a place where our program participants, their caregivers and the general public can access information about the following topics:

• ·      Updates from our two sites: South Vancouver Adult Day Centre and South Vancouver Adult Day Centre at Beulah Gardens
• ·      Seniors health information
• ·      Client and caregiver resources and events
• ·      Programming ideas for families and other seniors groups

On the right side of this page you will find a place to sign up to receive email notifications of new posts, two lists of links for seniors programming and caregiver resources and a translation option. We recognize that our participants and their families speak a variety of languages and will do our best to provide appropriate resources, to the best of our ability. Please be assured that we have considered privacy for our blog and will not post names or pictures of program participants unless we have obtained informed, written consent.

Keep posted for regular blog posts, starting with information on adult day centres and their programs.